The Evolution of Traditional Malay Theatre in Penang
During the era before the establishment of Penang as a se-
parate state some of the forms of traditional theatre active in Kedah, such
as Wayang Kulit Gedek, Menora and Hadrah, found a foothold here, particularly
in what eventually became Province Wellesley or Seberang Perai. The principal
indigenous theatre form that developed on Penang island is the operatic
Bang-
sawan, first performed in a prototypical form as Parsi Theatre
by visiting companies from India. In Penang, Bangsawan de-
veloped it own characteristic style and from here the genre spread to the
rest of the Malay peninsula, to Singapore and to some of the Indonesian
islands.
Inspiration as well as influences from Bangsawan resulted in the creation of indigenous styles of operatic theatre in the Indonesian islands as well as in Thailand. All of these forms retain the essential stylistic features that characterize Parsi theatre as well as Bangsawan.
Also associated with Penang is the Borea, originally
a ritualistic theatre genre performed during Muharram, the first month of
the Islamic calendar. With the re-
duction and eventual elimination of the ritual and re-
ligious elements Borea has been transformed into a form of laudatory song
and dance genre devoid of any script. [Paper by Ghulam-Sawar Yousof is not
online anymore]